Pai Sheng, also known as reed sheng, is a single reed air instrument of Miao, Dong, Shui, Yao, Gelao and other ethnic groups. In ancient times, it was called Lusha. Miao, Dong, and water are all called stalks. Miao is also known as Gadou, Gajie, Gadong, Gazheng, etc. Kam is also known as Terrier, Terrier, Terrier, etc. The Yao language is called the Lou system. In the Kemu language, he is called Kane and Song Luoer. It is popular in Guizhou, Guangxi, Hunan, Yunnan, Sichuan and other provinces and regions. It has a long history, a variety of shapes, bright and vigorous timbre, rich in local characteristics, and is often used by folk to accompany the Pai Sheng dance and the Pai Sheng band ensemble. After reform, it has been applied in national bands, which can be played solo, ensemble or ensemble, and has rich expressiveness.

The Tang Dynasty has a long history, and the Tang Dynasty has spread in the Yunnan border region and some Southeast Asian countries such as Myanmar and Thailand. In the eighteenth year of the Tang Dynasty (802 AD), the Bagan Dynasty of the Bi Kingdom (now Burma), which was under the jurisdiction of the Tang Dynasty, sent the prince Shu Nanda to Chang'an, the capital of the Tang Dynasty, to present the music and dance of the Piu Kingdom, and used the pan sheng in its instrumental music. "The New Tang Dynasty Book Biography" contains: "There are two big shengs, all sixteen pipes, eight on the left and right, shaped like phoenix wings, the big pipe is four feet eight inches and five minutes (119 cm) long, the rest of the pipes are uneven, the system is like a sheng, and the tube shape is also similar to phoenix wings. Bamboo is a spring, wearing a ,...... Only the country of Bi has an ancient system. "Of course, it has been popular among the people for a long time before it is recorded in the historical records. It can be seen that Pai Sheng has a history of at least 1,200 years.

The Dai people have a long tradition of music culture, and the history of our country calls the Dai people Baiyi, and it is recorded that this musical instrument was popular among the Dai people in southern Yunnan, called Lusheng. In the Ming Dynasty, Qian Guxun wrote "The Biography of Baiyi", and wrote when describing the customs of the Dai people: "The village beats the big drum, blows the reed sheng, and dances for the feast." There is also in the Ming "Jingtai Yunnan Picture Classic": "Its countryside drinks and feasts, beats big drums, blows reeds, and dances (shields) for fun." It shows that more than 500 years ago, the pansheng was already a very popular musical instrument in the Dai area of Dehong and Xishuangbanna. The Brown people live in the Brown Mountain Area of Menghai County, Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture, and have been friendly with the Dai people for a long time, and they are also deeply influenced by the Dai people culturally. The Pai Sheng of the Brown nationality was first seen in the Shunning Mansion Chronicles (Volume 1) compiled during the Kangxi reign of the Qing Dynasty (1662-1722 AD): "Puman (now Brown), black men and women,...... At four o'clock, men and women gather, blow the reed sheng (that is, row sheng), make a peacock dance, and the sound of stepping on the song shakes the ground, and stops as soon as possible. In the early 60s, Yunnan Provincial musicians in Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture Menghai County Brown Cottage, collected a fourteen-pipe sheng (picture), its shape and the ancient sheng has changed, the sheng pipe from sixteen to fourteen, divided into two rows (seven on the left and right) through the sheng bucket, the sheng bucket has not used the gourd and changed to a large bamboo pipe, the reed has also changed the bamboo spring to the copper spring, its shape and the Song Dynasty "like the ancient flute, braided bamboo for it" Lusha is very similar. The Kemu people live in Mengla and Jinghong counties of Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture, and are inextricably linked with the Dai people, and the same pansheng is also popular among the people.

Pai sheng is evolved from the gourd pai sheng, people have realized in practice that the gourd is brittle, not strong, and easy to leak, and the bamboo spring is also easy to absorb moisture and change the tone. The Ming Dynasty musician Zhu Zai once said its shortcomings in his article "It is not appropriate to use the true curtain to distinguish the sheng". In Guizhou, Guizhou, Hunan and other provinces and regions, the ancestors of China's ethnic minorities gradually made wooden sheng buckets and metal reed pansheng on the basis of Hu Pai Sheng, thus obtaining a larger volume and beautiful timbre. Among the Miao, Dong, Yao and other ethnic groups, the pai sheng continued to develop and gradually replaced the very popular Hu pai sheng.

The feudal rulers of the Qing Dynasty and the Kuomintang reactionaries carried out a policy of ethnic assimilation, forbidding Miao compatriots to speak Miao language or wear Miao costumes. When the ruler searched the village by village, the Miao compatriots buried it, and when the collector passed, he took it out and played it. The Miao family could not bear the exploitation and oppression of the reactionary rulers, and set off many armed uprisings and heroic struggles to resist food and money. During the Xianfeng and Tongzhi years, in the anti-Qing uprising led by the Miao hero Zhang Xiumei, Pai Sheng became the "clarion call" for the march, inspiring the rebels to fight bravely one after another.

On the evening of October 3, 1950, the famous Miao sheng player Dong Dangan and others met happily in Huairentang, Beijing, and at this literary and artistic event of national unity, on behalf of the Guizhou Provincial Art Troupe, presented a pair of pansheng and performed the traditional Miao sheng dance. After watching, I happily wrote down the famous poem "Huanxi Sha and Mr. Liu Yazi". The Miao sheng players in Guizhou also performed a wonderful sheng dance at the World Youth Festival, which was praised by people from all over the world. It is widely distributed in China, and there are roughly three specifications of 17 springs, 21 springs and 36 springs. It is mostly used for ensembles and local opera accompaniment.

In the early 60s of the 20th century, Yunnan musicians in the Brown area of Xishuangbanna had collected an ancient fourteen-pipe sheng, the sheng pipe was divided into two rows through the sheng bucket, it has not used the gourd and used the bamboo pipe to make the sheng bucket, the reed has also changed to a copper spring, its appearance is similar to the Song Dynasty "like an ancient flute, braided bamboo for it" Lu Sha. This remnant of the ancient pai sheng is enough to witness the evolution and development of the pai sheng into the history of the pai sheng.

2 Legends OriginsEdit

Regarding the origin of Pai Sheng, there are many moving legends among the people. At the foot of the Miao Ling Mountain, on the bank of the clear and turquoise Qingshui River, in the Miao family cottage with beautiful mountains and rivers, there was an old couple living a long time ago, the father was called Zhenqing, and the grandmother was called Lou, and they gave birth to a girl at the age of 40, named Bang Finch. The girl is ingenious, she looks more beautiful than a peacock, and she can sing better than a yellow warbler, and the descendants of the Miao family like her very much, but the Bangque secretly falls in love with the young hunter Maosha. The brave Maosha is strong in martial arts, and once killed the tiger to avenge his father, and shot the eagle spirit to eliminate harm for the people. Once, killing the White Pheasant Monster saved a girl. The girl was saved, and Maosha was far away, and the girl turned out to be a Bang Que, and her parents were extremely happy to see their daughter, and tears filled their eyes. Because he couldn't find Maosha, the tea and rice were not fragrant, and his face was haggard. The versatile old father, mining gold bamboo, cutting reeds, made a delicate pansheng, and used it to blow a beautiful tone, and the father taught the young people in the village to make pansheng and play pansheng. On the day of the race, the young people from Miao Village from near and far came to participate, and finally attracted Maosha with a white pheasant feather on his head, Bangque recognized him at a glance, and his father invited him to his home as a guest, Bangque was in good spirits, and Maosha talked about his heartfelt feelings, and the two became a happy couple.

In the splendid Dong Township, legend has it that Pai Sheng began in the Three Kingdoms period. Kong Ming sent troops to invade Dongjiazhai, using the war drum as the trumpet. At that time, the leader of the Dong tribe, Meng Huo, made people chisel bamboo and blow sounds, as a signal to gather people, attack or retreat, and later gradually evolved into a pai sheng. In the Dong songs in some areas, the detailed process of making the pan sheng is also described, saying that at the beginning, the reeds were sharpened with wood, and the sound could not be blown, and then the bamboo or horn was used to make it, although the sound was pronounced, but the blowing was too laborious, and later Meng Huo's son took some copper pieces from the armor, imitated the sound of dripping water in the rock cave, hammered it very thin, and installed it on the reed bamboo pipe, so as to make a beautiful sound, so as to make a variety of different sizes of pan sheng one after another.

3 Shape feature editing

Pai sheng is a rare harmonic instrument among ethnic minorities in China, and it is a relatively large traditional reed sheng popular among the people. It is composed of parts such as a sheng bucket, a sheng pipe, a reed, and a waist hoop. The bucket and mouthpiece are made of a single piece of wood or a large bamboo tube, and the wooden one is in the shape of a flat mallet, 17 cm long, 4.8 cm wide, and 3.5 cm high, with a hollowed out middle and a round mouthpiece at one end. The sheng pipe is made of thin bamboo tubes, transparent up and down, with a total of 14 tubes, divided into two rows of longitudinal symmetrical arrangement in the shape of wings, inserted into and through the sheng bucket, and the left and right sides are seven pipes each. The height of the sheng pipe of the Dai and Brown paisheng is 75 cm ~ 104 cm, the outer diameter is 0.8 cm ~ 1.1 cm, and the highest pipe of the Kemu people is 150 cm. In the middle of each pipe, the part where the bucket is inserted, is inlaid with a copper reed. Press the sound hole is located above the place near the sheng bucket, and each tube has a hole. Above and below the pipe, there is a rectangular tuning hole. At the top and bottom of the two rows of sheng pipes, a waist hoop made of bamboo strips is tied respectively.

4 Playing method editing

When playing, the sheng pipe is placed vertically, holding the sheng bucket with both hands, holding the mouthpiece with a mouthpiece, blowing and inhaling with a gentle air flow, and the rest of the fingers except the little finger of both hands are pressed and placed on the left and right two rows of sound holes, of which the thumb is fixed to press a tube of sound holes, and the other fingers are pressed by two or three tubes of sound holes. Both blowing and sucking can make the reed vibrate and cooperate with the air column in the pipe to produce sound. The timbre is bright and pleasant, and the volume is louder than that of the gourd sheng and smaller than that of the reed sheng. Vocal range g—a?2. Pai sheng is a harmonic instrument, often playing octaves, fifths or fourths, which is more expressive, and the melody is mostly carried out in the sustained tone of the upper and lower octaves, and can do the transposition of close relationships. It can be used for solo self-entertainment or folk song and dance accompaniment, played by men, often dancing while playing. The music includes "Kane Tune" and so on.

5 Common Techniques Editing

Intraoral techniques

1. Pronunciation (single vomiting, double vomiting, triple vomiting)

2. Moaning (abdominal groaning, laryngeal groaning)

3. Flower tongue (fast flower tongue, slow flower tongue, popping flower tongue)

4. Tongue (or mouthpiece)

5. Saw breath (compared to snorting, emphasizing oral breath)

Finger tricks

1. Glide (up slide, glistro)

2. Playing (fast and slow)

3. Vibrato (finger tremor, arm tremor)

4. Calendar sound (upper calendar, lower calendar)

5. Whistling (compared to sawing, emphasizing finger movements)

6 Manufacturing Requirements Edited

No air leakage

It is required that the horn of the sheng and the lotus hole should be closely matched. It is pointed out that "the taper of the foot of the sheng foot should be proportional to the taper of the lotus hole, and it must be unified". Of course, the gap of the reed should be reasonable and scientific. There is also a good sealing strength of the key cover return.

Weight, appearance

The weight problem of today's multi-reed traditional sheng is indeed a very important problem, and the solution to the problem should start from minimizing the weight per gram. Light materials should be used for sheng buckets, key seats, key rods, key beans, etc. The appearance must respect the traditional craftsmanship "Three Emperors and Five Emperors".

timbre

Since it is called a traditional sheng, it is necessary to try to keep it in its original state as much as possible. We need to work bamboo seedlings. Sheng Miaobi: "The position of the sound window should respect science, and the theoretical data should be consistent with the practical experience data." Minimize the number of amplified tubes.

range

The vocal range must be as wide as possible under reasonable conditions. The phonemic arrangement must be rationalized. Otherwise it is useless.

7 Role in the bandEdit

The sheng is a wind instrument, but it is pronounced by the vibration of copper reeds, so it has a mixed timbre of reed and pipe, the treble is crisp and transparent, the middle and low tones are beautiful, full, soft, and easy to integrate with the sound of other instruments.

Compared with the flute, flute, and pipe, the timbre of the sheng lacks personality, and the sound quality is more superficial, with poor penetration, and insufficient depth and strength, but it is a good accompaniment instrument and ensemble instrument. The dual timbre of the reed and pipe of the sheng and its own harmonic configuration make the sound of the sheng have a strong coordination. In the orchestra, the sheng is the most ideal "melting agent", and it can be combined well with the three sets of instruments of blowing, playing, and playing.

In folk wind bands such as Hebei Blowing Song, Shandong Blowing Music and Southern Liaoning Blowing Singing, the sheng can also play a role in harmonizing the timbre of the band. In unison, the sound effect of the orchestra can be enriched, making it unified, harmonious and full. The sheng is also an indispensable supporting instrument in Jiangnan silk and bamboo, Changzhou silk strings, Fujian Nanyin, Shanxi eight sets and Xi'an drum music. It is also used for the musical accompaniment of local operas such as Kunqu Opera and Yue Opera. The sheng also occupies an important position in the national orchestra, and sometimes three kinds of sheng are used: treble, alto and bass. In a mixed Chinese and Western band, sheng can also receive good results.

Due to the prominent harmonic effect and harmonizing function of the sheng, the timbre is soft and calm, and it rarely has the charm of a Chinese musical instrument. On the contrary, it is closer to Western musical instruments. In fact, Western pipe organs and other reed instruments were invented under the inspiration of the Chinese sheng. Probably because of this, it is more in line with the spirit and style of Western music.

At the beginning of 1980, the first performance of the Central Chinese Orchestra in Japan caused a sensation in Tokyo. The reform instruments such as the 32 reed sheng they used were the first time they appeared on the foreign music scene. At present, it is still the 17 reed sheng that was popular in the Tang Dynasty in China. Wang Huizhong's performance of "Phoenix Spreading Wings" and "Four Little Swans" in "Swan Lake" with the reformed 32 reed sheng was a great success, and Miho Mayama, director of the Shinza Art Troupe, said after listening to it: "I am amazed that Chinese folk instruments can play Tchaikovsky's world-famous songs."

Pai Sheng dance is the most representative traditional dance of the Miao nationality with a long history. In "History of the Song Dynasty", there is: "One person blows the scoop sheng,...... Dozens of generations have turned to dance, and the footfall is the festival". It is popular everywhere. The reed sheng dance in the southeast of Guizhou is divided into row sheng dance and stepping sheng dance. The so-called pai sheng dance means that the players stand in a row with the reed sheng in hand, with the tuba sheng as the axis, and rotate and dance while blowing, but always maintain a "one" formation. The girls lined up around the asparagus team and danced to the beat of the asparagus. The dance is when two people play a pair of reed sheng of the same size, and the dancers form a circle and dance together. In addition to group dances, there are also solo dances, double dances, 4 people, and 8 people with difficult acrobatic movements.